Rhapsody in tweed: on the costumes of ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’

As I discussed this morning, the few instances where the BAFTA nominations — voted on by the collected membership — part ways with the top five choices of the category’s relevant branch don’t always reflect very well on the awards’ voting system. “The Iron Lady” over “Young Adult” for Best Original Screenplay? “War Horse” over “Drive” for Best Cinematography (and over “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” for Best Visual Effects)? Jim Broadbent over, well, anyone for Best Supporting Actor? I’m unconvinced.

One area, however, where BAFTA at large did well to overrule the chapter vote was in Best Costume Design: where the costumers plumped for the lavish but rote Elizabethan rufflery of “Anonymous,” the general voters jumped forward a few centuries to nominate “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” instead. Put it down to a sweep mentality if you like — the film did score 11 nominations, after all — but that strikes me as a particularly astute pick nonetheless.

Her film résumé may be short, but Jacqueline Durran is rapidly proving herself one of the deftest costume designers in the business. Oscar-nominated for the muddied period finery of “Pride and Prejudice” and that green dress (among other items) in “Atonement,” she’s equally adept in contemporary settings — for my money, her character-defining thrift-store ensembles in Mike Leigh’s “Happy-Go-Lucky” were no less deserving of awards notice. In “Tinker, Tailor,” she’s hovering somewhere between those period and contemporary modes, and brings her gifts in both areas to the table.

Male-dominated films tend to get short shrift in costume awards citations, as do films set in the style-challenged heart of the 1970s — though “Milk” recently bucked the trend with a deserved but uncharacteristic Oscar nod for its unglamorous jeans-and-polyester-suits wardrobe. “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” is far more elegantly dressed than that film: it’s a veritable runway show of English sartorial custom, all decked out for the rain in splendidly drab autumnal hues, though I’m sure some voters will look at it and see just a bunch of guys in suits.

Watching the film again recently, however, I was struck by just how textured and varied Durran’s work is within that seemingly narrow dress code: the suit may be a uniform of sorts for most of the film’s characters, but that doesn’t mean it can’t express an awful lot about individual personality and status.

And that’s before you get to the shaggily self-admiring, tight-trousered leisurewear of Tom Hardy’s rogue agent Ricki Tarr, operating simultaneously as both mating call and mask, or the crucial costuming choice of Smiley’s signature glasses — two contrasting pairs (one delicately horn-rimmed, the other face-consumingly chunky) that both keep the film’s shifting chronology in check and underline the transition in eras that colors the entire narrative.

It’s supremely intelligent, often slyly witty, work by Durran that also melts beautifully into the shadowy, tea-stained aesthetic of Hoyte van Hoytema’s lensing and Maria Djurkovic’s intricate production design. Both the latter achievements have been Guild-nominated — it’d be lovely to see Durran complete the set. This was all on my mind even before I saw this interesting short interview with Durran on men’s style website Kempt, in which she explains her rationale behind a number of the film’s key wardrobe pieces and reveals just how little she had to work with in terms of direct historical illustration:

“Well, because of security, there are no actual photos of MI6 agents. So what we did was we looked at people in similar professions. We looked at politicians, and the whole range of upper-middle-class British society. Anyone who came from the same background or went to the same universities. We also had notes from a couple of people who had worked at MI6 in the “70s. They said people went for style statements, ones that were just on the edge of being acceptable in that straight English middle-class world. One of the notes we got was that one of the real-life characters wore an orange suede desert boot. So we decided to give those to Bill Haydon.”

She also explains the Steve McQueen inspiration behind Hardy’s getups, and how Oldman found his own glasses in Pasadena. Nice work all round. Fingers crossed the Guild and Academy take notice.

For more views on movies, awards season and other pursuits, follow @GuyLodge on Twitter.

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A really well-deserved nomination and I know immediately what tie you’re talking about! The film just had great texture and the details were perfect- I especially loved Tom Hardy’s white trainers and socks.

I did feel that the blues stood out a bit too much at times though. In some of the scenes in that amazing amber meeting room it felt like all the blue suits were coming towards me like some weird 3D effect. I know most films these days are teal/orange (this one was probably more cerulean/umber) but sometimes I get a bit sick of all the costumes having the same colour palate. A minor complaint, really, and not unique to this film.

By: Liz

01.18.2012 @ 12:15 AM

I am in love with that blue tie. And matching pocket square to boot!

By: meep

01.17.2012 @ 10:07 PM

Ahhhhhh…that shining green dress up against the wall of musty old books in the library. And now we know she’s spiffing with the gentlemen as well.

By: meep

01.17.2012 @ 10:29 PM

Also love Oldman’s Old Focals.

By: Dalurae

01.17.2012 @ 10:16 PM

Great article. I loved the costumes throughout, especially George Smiley’s thick, ill-fitting overcoat–it was so spot on. Also loved the first few scenes in the conference room where you can clearly see what the characters are like and tell who’s who by looking at the things they’re wearing/holding and their sitting postures.

By: Mykill

01.17.2012 @ 10:57 PM

This was an absolutely terrific article. What an excellent analysis of how below-the-line crafts details such as costume design add to the overall viewing experience (when done exceptionally well as in this instance) that you don’t even realize that seemingly insignificant details such as the cut of a jacket or the color of a tie are actually crucial to the inner-workings of characters (in an otherwise dense film that doesn’t allow for too much character explanation.) It really makes me want to see the film again just so I can pay closer attention to the clothes and the sets to see how all these complex themes are being depicted without having to be said out loud.

I feel like the original miniseries also did an excellent job having the characters dressed in completely idiosynchratic ways, but the film version definitely trumps the tv series in sleek atmospheric period details (IMHO.) I wonder if it is b/c at the time of the mini-series, the sets and costumes weren’t considered “period pieces” b/c it was taking place within the same decade? Something about going back and looking at it with years of observational references really does give those images an additional charge of significance, at least to me. Once again, Guy, that was an extremely satisfying read and really gave me lots to think about. I certainly hope the academy nominates TTSS for best costume design as well.

By: JLPatt

01.17.2012 @ 11:23 PM

***”War Horse” over “Drive” for Best Cinematography (and over “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” for Best Visual Effects)?***

Seriously? Out of all the weird, egregious things they did you pick “War Horse” for Cinematography, its absolute strongest attribute and easily one of the best works of the year? I’d pick it over “Drive” every day of the week.

By: GuyLodge

01.17.2012 @ 11:42 PM

I really have issues with the work. We shall agree to disagree.

But how about those ‘Tinker, Tailor’ costumes, eh?

By: JLPatt

01.17.2012 @ 11:58 PM

Very good, although I’m not sure I’d personally nominate them.

By: Björn

01.18.2012 @ 12:04 AM

I’d have to agree to disagree with you too, mister Lodge. IMHO War Horse has its best shot in cinematography. Though I’d take Tinker Tailor over War Horse in that department anytime. And in any department actually.

BUT! Clothing! Ofcourse the guild will nominate her, unless they’re mental. The real question is, will the Academy go for it. Perhaps too subtle, but I think it has a great shot. Probably over Immortals. I kinda have a love/hate thing going on with that. The designs are quite wonderful, but the execution is a little plastic, no?

By: DylanS

01.18.2012 @ 12:09 AM

Guy: Sometimes I wish you voted for costume design nominees instead of the designers themselves. You loo beyond obvious period stylings in a way they consistently fail to do and pinpoint the quality that they should be looking at, how the character is defined by their choice of attire. Durran does such a phenomenal job of this in TTSS and deserves a great deal of recognition for it that i’m not sure she’s going to get. Smiley’s overcoat, Guillam’s shiny blue tie, Haydon’s stylish suits. All so very attentive and deserving.

By: Björn

01.18.2012 @ 12:10 AM

With “ofcourse” I mean that the guild has more slots to give fill. They might even put it in contemporary like they did with Milk. Not that I think they should, but they might. They could…
Come on! It’s just too gorgeous too pass up on. :P

No need to stop — I’m so glad other people care about this category! (Incidentally, the CDG nominated Milk in the period field.)

By: Björn

01.18.2012 @ 8:36 PM

Thanks! And you’re right ofcourse, it wasn’t. So I thought I meant another period
they deemed contemporary, and I went and checked. And it never happened at all with any film. :S
Apparently I like fiction too much for my memory to bare.

Good predictions, by the way. Exactly the same as mine. I have Tinker Tailor as my alternate for W.E., which does have gorgeous threads, but the Academy does tend to reward character based work, and as you pointed out in your wonderfully written article the work in Tinker Tailor has exactly that. W.E. barely has characters at all. And I’m guessing the gorgeous designs in A Single Man (also miss Phillips’ work) had the same hurdle. But for know I think it is just way too beautiful too be ignored this time around. The only reason one has to enjoy Madonna’s latest re-invention of herself.
While I’m writing this I see Kris has Anonymous. Kinda forgot about that one. I should check it out, but my gut and some stills tell me it has a better shot at Art Direction. How do you feel about the work, if I may ask?

By: JJ1

01.18.2012 @ 1:17 AM

The costumes for Tinker Tailor are indeed excellent. They don’t quite make my line-up, but I appreciate the meticulous detail of the men’s wear, for sure.

By: RichardA

01.18.2012 @ 2:37 AM

Agreeing to disagree is such a refreshing concept!

This is all nuanced–although technically a period piece, TTSS pretty much counts as contemporary–. I’d like to call attention to the contemporary costuming work in The Descendants. From an untrained eye, they all pretty much wear “Aloha” wear, but there’s class structure costuming that’s perfectly captured in the movie.